


Summer of High Society

by marilynthedork



Series: Zone of Short Stories [4]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Episode: e060-066 The Stolen Century Parts 1-7, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative, Public Display of Affection, Summer of Smooch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 18:00:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14899304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marilynthedork/pseuds/marilynthedork
Summary: In order to retrieve the Light this cycle, the crew needs to attend a gala to impress the royalty of this plane. Magnus, with all his rustic charms, has no idea how to act. Luckily, Taako has enough tact and grace to carry the both of them.





	Summer of High Society

Even though Magnus has already seen the elaborate castle on their recon mission, he finds himself enchanted all over again tonight at the gala. Maybe it’s because of the warm lights from the castle’s windows, doorways, and gardens contrasting beautifully against the starlit night sky. Maybe it’s the excitement of attending something this fancy for the first time. Or perhaps it’s because Taako is right next to him.

Taako looks stunning in his black, floor-length gown. At least, Magnus _thinks_ it’s a gown. It clings to his hips, but tapered off to a wider, more flowing skirt that drags the floor and trails behind him. It’s too elegant to _just_ be a dress, surely. Though the stole draped over his shoulders may cover the sweetheart neckline of the dress, it elevates his ethereal beauty to a point where Magnus finds it hard to look away.

(Sidenote: he learned that the pelt of fur Taako was wearing was called a stole just last week. He also learned the word faux, what it meant, and how to spell it. “Don’t even sweat it, homie: this stole is faux as shit.”)

The earrings and necklace, shimmering in the low light from the castle, are the most subtle part of the ensemble. Magnus guesses they’re diamond, because that’s honestly the one and only gem he knows that’s clear. Whatever they are, they make Taako look beautiful. There’s no other word Magnus can think of to describe him.

Magnus feels a lot less lavish standing next to Taako, but at this point, he’s just glad he’s not wearing a suit and tie.

=

Taako slid open the door to the closet in Magnus’ room. Like all the other closets on the ship, it was clearly never meant to hold more than a month’s worth of clothing, at most. But, as the cycles continued to stretch before them, and they acquired more stuff from the various planes, they made them work. Inanimate objects were one of the few points of stability in their insane journey, so they held on to what they could without cluttering their home. The twins especially were known to be hoarders of clothes, ranging in quality from thrift store bargain bin to luxury, name-brand articles.

Magnus, on the other hand, never cared about fashion, so his closet had a modest selection of outfits.

“Okay, not a lot to work with,” Taako mused, “Why don’t you show me what you think are your nicest digs, big guy?”

Taako let Magnus step as much as he could into the closet, and Magnus picked through the shirts he had hanging up for a minute. “Uh, all of my pants are in the drawer over there, but I think this shirt’s kinda nice?”

He held up a hanger for Taako’s approval. It was a long-sleeved blue and gray plaid button-up, slightly wrinkled from its time stuffed in the back of his wardrobe. Taako look one of the sleeve in his hands, feeling the cotton blend as he rubbed his fingers together. It certainly fit the lumberjack vibe Magnus had with his battle axe. Lup would be a fan. Hell, _he_ was a fan. Out of curiosity, he glanced at the tag. “New Navy Outfits? Really?”

“I think it was on sale? Their stuff was always cheap,” Magnus shrugged.

“No, I’m not dissing ‘em, I just haven’t thought of them in years, is all,” Taako smiled fondly, “It was one of the first places Lup and I raided when we landed at the IPRE.”

“So, you like it?” Magnus asked hopefully.

“Well, it’s,” Taako clapped his hands together once, like he was preparing himself to deliver terrible news, “It’s definitely not the _worst_ shirt ever. It’s pretty nice, actually. Like, seriously, why the hell have I never seen you wear this? But it’s not formal like, at all, my dude.”

Magnus sighed, “Well, then I don’t have anything, sorry.”

“It’s okay, Mags, we got time to go shopping,” Taako patted his shoulder, “Or cha’boy can whip some good shit up for you. Let’s look to see if you have some slacks.”

The pants were even less impressive. For starters, Magnus had the worst Executive Dysfunction Drawers (trademark) Taako had ever seen, which was saying something. At least when Taako finally did his laundry, he had a _system_ for putting shit away. Magnus, on the other hand, put clothes wherever they would fit. Taako spent about ten minutes doing a full inventory of the fighter’s pants. He laid them out on the bed, then on the floor.

He had a surprising amount of cargo shorts, Taako noted. He also owned an unacceptable number of blue jeans (the acceptable number was zero; one if you only wore them in emergencies). Otherwise, it was a lot of khaki. “How did I never know you had all these same shorts? Have I seriously not been paying attention?”

“Well, usually I’m wearing like, leather tunics and chainmail and stuff,” Magnus reminded him, “I’m the security officer, remember?”

“Oh right, you’re not just a teddy bear,” Taako winked playfully, “Hey, that’s actually a good idea!”

“What is?”

“Security officer, Maggie.”

“It’s less of an idea and more of a title, really.”

“No, I know,” Taako rolled his eyes, “I meant like, going with that angle. I was thinking suit ‘n tie but actually-“

Taako seemed to bounce back to the closet, clearly excited to show Magnus something. He pulled out a red jacket. _The_ red jacket, to be exact. “I know you usually wear this shirtless, but if we got you a nice dress shirt to wear under it…”

Magnus considered the offer for a moment. “I mean,” Magnus hesitated, “I like the idea better than wearing a suit, that’s for sure!”

=

In the end, they paired the jacket with a white evening shirt and black slacks. Taako ironed the whole outfit for him, and pinned on a service ribbon holder, with a ribbon for each cycle.

“You look great,” Taako reassures him on their way to the castle, “Like, a real- real’s the wrong word… official, no… like deadass, you look the part of a security officer, you know?”

“Oh, uh, thanks, Taako,” Magnus says shyly, his stomach fluttering at the thought that Taako _considered how he phrased his comment before he said it_.

“Just remember Mags: wear the crown, be the crown,” Taako says with a playful wink.

Their mission is simple: convince the royalty of this plane that they had been chasing the Light for decades, and, as a result, are the rightful guardians of it. The entire crew is present for this mission; even Davenport has left his usual post at the ship’s controls to attend. Since the Hunger isn’t supposed to arrive for months, they figure it’s safe enough to risk. Still, Magnus’ stomach curdles at the thought of having to cover for the captain while he runs back to the ship.

Taako, apparently sensing his anxiety, takes his hand and gives it a subtle squeeze. “It’s okay, big guy. Nothing bad’s gonna happen tonight. Remember what we talked about?”

Magnus nodded and squeezed Taako’s hand back.

=

“Taako,” Magnus whispered, gently nudging the elf, who was curled into his side, “Are you awake?”

“Nnnnn, ‘m meditatin’,” Taako mumbled, nuzzling Magnus and sighing deeply.

Magnus had learned from years of experience that this was Taako’s way of saying he was awake, not barely, “I can’t sleep.”

“Wha’s wrong?”

“I’m nervous about tomorrow night.”

Taako opened his eyes and looked up at Magnus, eyes glowing slightly in the dark “Why?”

“I dunno,” Magnus said quietly, “I’m just… what if I mess it up, Taako?”

“Mess up what?”

“The mission, Taako. What if I say something dumb and they don’t give us the Light? Or what if they don’t like us? Or what if-“

Taako took one of Magnus’ hands and shushed him, “ _Shhh,_ _noooo_ , it’s gonna be fine.”

“You don’t know that,” Magnus insisted.

“I do,” Taako yawned, “We’re gonna… we’re gonna look like the _shit,_ Magnus.”

“We’re gonna look like shit?” Magnus asked in alarm.

“No no no, the shit. Ugh, common is so confusing,” Taako made a fake gagging sound, “Uhhh, we’re gonna look like the bomb. The bee’s knees. Super good, Mags.”

“Oh, oh yeah, ‘course,” Magnus nodded, “’cus you picked out my outfit.”

“Mmmm, true,” Taako hummed, “But really, your handsome face didn’t need much help.”

“Taako, I’m being serious,” Magnus groaned. He hoped Taako couldn’t see how his cheeks were flushing with his night vision. “What if… the Hunger comes?”

“Not gonna happen.”

“How do you know?”

“Because it hasn’t come early before.”

“What if this is the first time.”

“And if it is? We’ll run like hell and fly off, like we always do.”

“What if we don’t make it?”

“I dunno, Magnus. But if I worried about all the stuff I didn’t know… it’d probably kill me.”

Magnus thought it over for a moment, his hand wandering to play with Taako’s hair. As he combed through the knots gently, Taako began to purr, low and steady, deep in his chest. “…Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“Mrrp?” Taako acknowledged, then he yawned again and shifted closer, “Anything else before I conked out again?”

“Well, I guess I’m still worried I’m gonna say something dumb and mess it all up,” Magnus admitted.

“See, now that’s what we in the biz call a rational, grounded fear,” Taako joked. “Anyway, uh, two options: either you look pretty and talk as little as possible, or you just… think before you talk. Novel concept, I know.”

“Why are you like this?”

“Hey, you knew I was a dick when you signed up for this whole dating me thing,” Taako winked, “Damnit, you can’t see that. Nevermind… real talk, though? Just don’t, like, get too gruesome with your security deets. No one wants to hear about your kink for ripping off robot arms, ya know?”

“It’s not a kink, it was _one time!”_ Magnus whined.

“Then it’s a fetish.”

“Those are the same thing!”

“Whatever, just… if nobody asks, and I’m one-hundo percent sure nobody’s gonna come up and ask you ‘Hey, violently de-arm any robos lately?’ then don’t tell. And if someone does ask, keep it PG for the kiddies.”

“I’ll… remember that,” Magnus smiled, exhaustion finally starting to catch up to him, “Thank you, Taako.”

“Uh huh, just don’t make these late night chats a regular thing. Some of us need eight hours to function,” Taako deflected, though with the way his purring picked up, Magnus took this as ‘you’re welcome.’”

=

Magnus takes a deep breath, and the two enter the castle’s foyer. Each side has a wide, curving staircase that leads into the banquet hall and throne room. Magnus wishes he could plow through the crowd and just get upstairs, but he knows this mission required him to be amiable. Usually, he’s fantastic at that; Magnus can make friends with anything, after all. However, he has never tried to use his charms in an upscale setting. He was more in tune with the common people. Taako had jokingly called it his “folksy charms” once, and Magnus felt the description matched.

“Oh, your dress is divine, dear,” a woman, almost as well-dressed as Taako (no matter how rich or royal, nobody here can shine a candle to his boyfriend), comes up to them with a long-stemmed glass in one hand, “Are you two those- oh, what did they call you? Space explorers?”

“Astronauts,” Taako supplies, “And yes, we’re part of the Inter Planar Research and Exploration’s _Starblaster_ crew.”

“Oh, is that the name of your ship?” The woman asks, fascinated, “Oh, what’s it like travelling among the stars?”

“It’s… pretty amazing,” Magnus says cautiously, “But I think… visiting all the planes and meeting the citizens there is the best part of the mission. Wouldn’t you agree, Taako?”

They continue around the room like this for about an hour. With each new person who comes up to the pair and asks questions, Magnus finds it easier to answer them confidently. His mind barely wanders to his anxieties about offending anyone, and censoring himself isn’t even a struggle. Soon, however, the guests are all being ushered to the long dining table to eat.

This was the part Magnus was most worried about, but with the practice they’ve done, and with Taako sitting next to him, he thinks he’ll be able to handle it.       

=

“Woah, Taako, you look… great,” Magnus offered awkwardly, “No, more than great. _Way_ more than great. Uh, radiant? You look nice.”

“Oh, thanks, it’s just something I kinda came up with last minute,” Taako shrugged. “To be honest, I wasn’t planning on being this formal on day one, but I decided that today we should see what you know, big guy.”

“Like, my manners? I think I got that,” Magnus grinned, bowing low.

Taako did a curtsey in return, and they both giggled at the ridiculousness of the situation. The two of them, in the ship’s emptied-out cargo bay, about to sit at this huge table and eat a several-course meal by themselves. Taako recovered first, holding his elbow out.

Magnus, confused, bumped his own elbow against Taako’s. “Are secret handshakes part of high society?”

“No, you goof,” Taako smacked his arm reproachfully, though it barely smarted against the firm muscles of his upper arm, “You’re supposed to lead me to the table.”

“With your elbow?”

“Yes,” Taako rolled his eye.

“How am I…” Magnus held out his hand and tried to figure out to hold Taako’s arm.

Taako took both hands, much larger and rougher than his slender ones, and guided them where there supposed to be. “There, and now we walk.”

“Oh, this is…” Magnus smiled down at Taako, “This is intimate.”

“Oh boy, wait til we get to ballroom dancing, my dude,” Taako tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. Though Magnus knew Taako would kill him if he said anything, he couldn’t help but notice the way Taako’s ear turned pink, a sure sign of embarrassment or nervousness, “There’s, uh, not a lotta room for Istus there.”

Magnus laughed out loud, and, suddenly remembering how he was acting proper tonight, used his free hand to muffle it. “You can’t say shit like that when it’s for real, you’ll give me away!”

“And neither one of us will be able to curse, so imagine how much restraint I’m using, my dear Magnus.”

They made their way over to the table, and Magnus knows to pull out Taako’s chair. That was basic date 101 stuff, “Hey, why am I doing all the guy stuff?”

“Because it’s a good look on you,” Taako takes a pointed slip of water, ears twitching ever-so-slightly, “Also, you’re polite enough on the daily, so hopefully this formal stuff will come easy.”

“Me too,” Magnus admitted as he looks at his place setting, “Because that is a _lot_ of spoons.”

“It’s really not, once you get used to it,” Taako assured him, “I mean, I personally think it’d be easier and cleaner if they brought your silverware with each course, but I guess they have an aesthetic going or something.”

“You think it’s dumb too?” Magnus asked.

“Yeah. If we ever… if I had my own restaurant, it wouldn’t be stuffy. I want people to enjoy my food, not sit around worrying if they’re gonna offend someone by not using the right knife.”

“That sounds really nice,” Magnus said, smiling sincerely.

“That’s, uh, enough about me,” Taako cleared his throat, thoroughly blushing now. Magnus briefly wondered if he had some wine while preparing all this, because of how flustered he is. Maybe this was too close to a real date for him, and he was just excited. Regardless, Magnus thinks it’s endearing as hell, and he’s glad he’s seeing this side of the usually shut-off elf.

=

The food is good (not as good as anything Taako would have made, but even Magnus knows now is not the time to voice his opinion, and by following Taako’s cues, he manages to use all the right utensils at the right time. He even sips his Champaign the way he’s watched Taako sip his for decades. While Taako makes it look effortless, he feels clunky and graceless with the glass. However, no one raises a brow at him, so he must be doing something right.

Slowly, the guests rise from their places at the banquet and move into the ballroom. Before Magnus and Taako can get in any more socializing, the conductor taps his baton against the music stand, and the orchestra begins to play what Magnus assumes is a classical piece on this plane. Taako moves closer in front of him, placing his hands on Magnus’ shoulder and hip, just like they practiced a few days before.

=

“Look at that, Mags, you’re a natural,” Taako grinned as they danced in the kitchen of the ship. “See, you’re not completely hopeless.”

“Yeah, uh, it’s a funny story,” Magnus laughed nervously, “You’ve probably heard of coaches making their players take ballet to get limber and stuff, right? Well, my dad accidentally signed me up for ballroom dancing instead. It was, uh, not very helpful for sports, but it was nice on dates. Women love a man who can do this:”

Magnus gently spun Taako under his arm, and back around, and dipped him low enough that his hair brushed the floor.

Taako giggled when he was brought back up, flush with Magnus’ chest. “Hey, I’m not a lady, but, uhhh, I’m pretty into it.”

“I can tell, you’re blushing,” Magnus smiled softly, “The tips of your ears are turning red.”

“Shut up,” Taako pouted, “You’re cherry red too, homie.”

“Yeah, my face just does that when I get warm,” Magnus explained, “Or when I get nervous. I think I’m nervous, actually, because my heart is beating kinda fast and my palms are sweaty and my knees are starting to feel weak-”

Taako stood on his toes and kissed Magnus deeply. Magnus eyes fluttered closed as he leaned into the kiss, moving his hand to cup the back of Taako’s head. When they broke for air, Taako smirked up at him. “Did that help?”

“No, now my stomach’s all… fluttery,” Magnus breathed, eyes wide and shining.

“Magnus has a _cru-ush_ ,” Taako sing-songed, pecking him again on the cheek, “And it’s a-dor-able!”

“Stop, Taako, don’t give away our secrets,” Magnus grinned, nuzzling at Taako’s hair.

=

As they dance to a less-crowded part of the ballroom, Magnus finds it hard not to stare at Taako. To an outsider, he hopes it looks like the pair are completely focused on their dance. Magnus knows he’s on autopilot, though. His mind keeps wandering to their kiss in the kitchen. He remembers how the lights had been low like tonight, the cool blue making Taako’s eyes shine. The lighting in the ballroom is warmer, which makes Taako’s hair glow faintly. Taako’s makeup is subtle, for once, but it beautifully accentuated his best features. His eyes, his cheekbones, and his nose looked even more gorgeous than normal, a feat that should have been physically impossible.

Before he even registers it, Magnus leans forward and kisses Taako’s forehead, his cheek, and finally, he ghosts over his lips.

“Magnus, please,” Taako mutters sternly as he looked down at the floor, “They’re still watching us, you know.”

“I know, but Taako…” Magnus takes his hand and guides his face back up, so he can look him in the eyes (those beautiful, deep, green eyes). “I know this sounds awful, because it’s our entire mission, but… so long as you’re here, I don’t care if we get the Light.”

Taako opens his mouth to say something, but Magnus kisses him again, deeper this time, before he can retort. Taako’s ears flick at the sensation, and when he pulls away, his cheeks are dusted a wonderful shade of pink.

“Can we compromise and promise to finish this later tonight, my dude?” Taako whispers desperately, breathlessly, “I don’t… I wanna keep looking at your handsome face as long as I can. And that’s hella hard to do when we’re making out.”

“Deal,” Magnus agrees, “But only because it means I can keep staring at you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to jack in the Chill Taagnus discord for putting on the Summer of Smooch event, the Taagnus Discord for being a Chill Positive place, and to @bi panic in the taz fic writer discord for being my awesome beta! This fic wouldn't be the same without y'all!!!


End file.
